The typical drive through or so called fast food restaurant has an order station at which the customer sees a priced menu and places an order, a pay station at which the customer pays for the order and a pick up station at which the customer picks up the ordered items of food. The pick up and pay station may constitute the same station.
In order to provide weather protection, it has been a customary practice in the drive through restaurant trade to construct the restaurant building with a rood overhang or canopy at the pay station and also at the pick up station if at a different location. The roof overhang provides protection for both the vehicle operator and the restaurant attendant when exchanging money at the pay station or when delivering food items at the pick up station. Since the typical drive through restaurant deals with a wide range of vehicles, a very critical problem in the industry is that of dealing with damage to the roof overhang or canopy when an overheight vehicle drives through the upper part of the vehicle hits the roof overhang or canopy at the pay or pick up station. However, the typical flexible vehicle radio antennas, even though overheight, can normally be accommodated without damage to the roof overhang or canopy.
Both lighted and unlighted horizontal, pivotal and cushioned arms have been mounted on poles at a location before the pay and/or pick up station and at a height intended to hit any overheight portion of a vehicle as a warning to the driver. However, the driver often does not observe or hear the arm striking the vehicle and damage to the roof overhang or canopy follows as the vehicle drives through. Also, warning arms of this type become defective through use by reason of rust, corrosion or deterioration of the parts. The vehicle may be damaged by the arm itself failing to operate as required. Such warning arrangements also lack the ability to discriminate between non-damaging vehicle antennas and overheight vehicles which do cause damage.
The object of the invention thus becomes that of providing an improved overheight detector system for a drive through restaurant which overcomes the foregoing disadvantages. Other objects will become apparent as the description proceeds.